knshook
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Re: Had No Problems With Our RV
JimK-NY wrote: I wonder if this thread has attracted only those with good experiences. I have talked to a great many RV owners and the majority seem to have numerous repairs and quality issues. I think I have a well built RV but have still had numerous issues. I bought my Northstar Igloo truck camper in 2010. It was a very, very lightly used unit built in 2005. Before I took delivery the dealer replaced the kitchen faucet and the bathroom vent cover. I used the unit for 2 years fulltime and have at least another full year of use spread out from 2013 until present. Here is my list: A 45 degree router had been used on the edges of the kitchen counter top to make an attractive bevel. That exposed the underlying pressboard substrate which immediately swelled on contract with water. The exterior vent flapper for the range hood broke. The hinge pins were 1/16" plastic. The replacement soon broke and I had to rig a repair with metal hinge pins. The dealer typically installed propane refrigerators. Mine was a 12v compressor. There was almost no ventilation and I had to saw and opening and install a suitable vent. Wiring to the refrigerator was 10 gauge. Again the dealer had no experience with compressor refrigerators. Since the wiring run was about 15' in both directions, 30' total, there was a huge loss of voltage and the fridge would stop working whenever the battery voltage dropped to about 12.5. I installed 6 gauge wiring which immediately fixed the problem. My Atwood water heater only fired up intermittently. The dealer cleaned the flame sensor. It turned out that my model had an issue with the connectors to the electronic control board. I finally identified the problem and when the unit does not light, I go outside and jiggle the wires. I put an office binder clamp on the connector that more or less fixed the problem. The cover on my Coleman A/C unit was ripped off by winds that were probably in the 60-90 mph range. The cover was only held by 4 bolts and the plastic just tore loose. A dozen pieces of bailing wire fixed the problem. I developed a leak in the sealant around one of the windows. It was really tough to find the problem but the fortunately it the fix was pretty quick but not possible while traveling. I have 4 windows around the bed area. They could be held in two different open positions by use of the strut which contained spring loaded ball bearings. Over the past few years each of these assemblies died when the plastic parts deteriorated due to heat and UV light. Replacements for these simple parts would have cost $500 so I use office binder clamps when I want to hold the windows open. I have Happijaks to raise the camper off the truck. Two of the motors have shorted out and needed to be replaced at a parts cost of about $125 each. I understand this is a common problem. The Happijak motors have little boxes for the electrical connections. Those are located on the exterior of the camper. The dealer installed these upside down so that the hole for the wires was on the top instead of the bottom. Eventually the box developed a leak around the wires. Water ran down the wires, into the box. Water filled the box and spilled into the storage compartment that comprised the lower right hand corner of the camper. I discovered this after the winter of 2014-15. Several large structural pieces of wood were rotted and the repair took me two full days of nasty work. Last Spring my city water connection started to leak. I think the valve was destroyed due to trapped frozen water. It did not help that the valve pointed downwards and there was no way to get antifreeze into it. I guess this one was my fault for doing incomplete winterizing. I did find that the valve was the first piece in the construction of my camper. Everything seems to have been built around it leaving no place for access and replacement. After a days work I just capped off the city water line. I had only used it once but it was a nice backup. Now if my water pump goes I am done for. Speaking of the water pump, it started to leak and fail so I replace it. The pigtails on my propane tanks dry rotted and cracked. I had to replace them soon after I bought the camper and again a couple of years later. I check them every year and carry a spare just in case. My solar controller died and had to be replaced. I thought I lost the batteries as well but it turned out that the 19 volt battery readings was just part of the controller failure. The plastic drawer glides for one of my kitchen drawers broke and the drawer would not work until I installed the replacement parts. I could only find the same cheap plastic parts so I wrapped mine with a few layers of fiber reinforced packing tape. I envy those of you with extensive RV use and no issues. I do bet most RVers have at least as many issues as I have had. A lot of the failures and repairs I have had are due to failure of standard parts found in most RVs. The reason everyone is posting their good experiences is because that's what this post was about " No Complaints" Very sorry for all your issues! We've been there with other RV's but,thankfully, not this time.786Views0likes0CommentsRe: Had No Problems With Our RV
We love our Grand Design Reflection. We have had only a couple of very minor issues, which were repaired in a timely manner. It's been well traveled since we purchased it 2 years ago. We've been to Yellowstone & Teton NP 2015, 2016, Rocky Mountain NP, Glacier NP, Canada, Couer de Alene, Oregon, Eastern Sierra mountains. N.Ca coast, Lake Tahoe, and in two weeks we will ferry it over to the San Juan Islands. We lived in it for three months while preparing my mother-in-laws home for sale and we now use it as our home base when we return to visit her each month. We've used it in summer,winter,fall & spring and everything inside and out has been well used. We did have the tires replaced with Maxi's when we purchased it and had an extra air cond installed. Nothing has failed us and we couldn't be more satisfied! Thanks for suggesting this topic. We have no complaints and only gratitude! We wish the same for our fellow travelers!789Views0likes0CommentsRe: North Rim Grand Canyon
We love the south rim but also enjoyed seeing north rim for a very different perspective. We also took some of the back roads and ended up literally at the edge of the canyon. It was awe inspiring. It's been a few years since we were at the north rim but if I remember correctly the drive, beyond Jacobs Lake area, is beautiful!474Views0likes0CommentsRe: I 80 out of California through Nevada and Utah
Billinwoodland wrote: Winnemucca is a good spot to stop on the i80 route. If you want free, water canyon campground is good. But the New Frontier RV park has full hook ups, good wifi, good cable tv, all for the exciting price of $19 with good sam discount card. We are staying 2 nights next week. FHU for two nights was 75.00. What did we do wrong???812Views0likes0CommentsRe: Hill City, S. Dak.
Roadpilot wrote: We love the Rafter J Bar. We had a spot that was several hundred yards to our nearest neighbor on the passenger side. It's a great location for exploring the Black Hills. x2 great location, lovely park. Just 9 miles from Mt.Rusmore! I think someone else mentioned this-try getting spot on the Island if possible.663Views0likes0CommentsRe: Campground near Idaho Falls, Idaho
kknowlton wrote: Snake RIver RV Park, off the exit to US 20 from I-15; a former KOA. Someone stayed there recently, so they are probably open. There's a county park on the Shelley exit; not sure if they are open. Pocatello has a KOA about 1-2 miles off I-15, exit 71, and they are open year-round. We have stayed at Snake River RV Park, 1440 Lindsey Blvd, 4 x as we made our way back/forth to Teton's. We have reservations again this summer. It's not fancy but the staff is friendly and grounds are clean.189Views0likes0CommentsRe: Yellowstone from 1-25
mittshel wrote: I would take 26 all the way to Shoshoni then 20/120 up to Cody and in that way. That is a beautiful drive from Cody to Yellowstone. Have fun. Betsy. x2 it is a beautfiul drive! I took many photos along this route. My favorite way to enter Yellowstone!243Views0likes0CommentsRe: Laughlin to Carson City
We enjoy 395 heading N. The mountains are beautiful and the drive offers good views of Mt.Whitney. Bishop is a very nice town. We have stayed at Highlands RV on N side of town. Lots of gas stations and a large Von's grocery and K-Mart. Further N you will pass a lot of spectacular scenery including Mammoth Mt, Mono Lake, Twin Lakes. Beware stopping for gas in Brideport as they have a reputation for being highest gas prices and it's well earned. We fill up in Bishop. The only climb that is worth noting is just N of bishop; It's a long, steady grade but nothing to worry about if you take it easy. We travel it quite often, towing a 33' 5er. It's a well maintained divided highway. There is another climb past Mono Lake but once again it's not difficult if you take it easy. There is lots to see/do on 395 if you have time but if just driving through the scenery is worth the drive.116Views0likes0Comments
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